@ symbol -

The "at" sign or "@" symbol is now such an integral part of the Internet, it deserves special recognition. Located on top of the "2" on most computer keyboards (using the shift command), it is primarily used to separate the domain name and the user name in an e-mail address. For example, info@learntheweb.com is read (and pronounced) as "info at learntheweb dot com." NOTE: It is not pronounced "and" nor is it the ampersand symbol which instead looks like &

Computer engineer Ray Tomlinson is credited with inventing the @ symbol for e-mail in late 1971, when he grappled with how to properly address what would be history's very first e-mail. Many languages have developed colloquial names for the @ sign which, for some reason, have food or animal references...Read More